Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention pertains to a system for transporting
persons and/or goods with a plurality of vehicles equipped
with running wheels, whereby the vehicles are couplable to a
continually moving drive cable by means of which they are
driven along a track, in particular along rails, whereby
there are provided, in stations in which the vehicles can be
uncoupled from the drive cable, decelerating wheels and
acceleration wheels, which can be brought into contact with
the vehicles for respectively reducing and increasing their
travel speed.
In a prior art system of this kind there are provided at the
stations decelerating wheels and accelerating wheels which
can be brought into contact with the vehicle cars. As soon as
a vehicle enters into the region of a station, the vehicle is
decoupled from the drive cable and the decelerating wheels
start their effect, whereby the speed of the vehicle is
strongly reduced or the vehicle is brought to a stillstand,
so that passengers may exit or enter. As soon as the vehicle
is to be moved farther, the accelerating wheels cause its
speed to increase to the speed with which the drive cable is
moved, and the vehicle is again coupled thereto.
In that prior art system the decelerating wheels and the
accelerating wheels are disposed laterally of the train, they
are rotated about a substantially vertical axis, and they
come into contact with contact surfaces provided laterally at
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the vehicle cabin. Such a system, however, does not satisfy
the requirements, because it necessitates rectilinear paths
in the regions of the stations in which the decelerating and
accelerating wheels come to act. When these paths are not
rectilinear, the decelerating wheels and the accelerating
wheels can only be brought into contact with the vehicle car
with a substantial additional technological expense. In
addition, the differing lengths of the effective paths of the
wheels would have to be taken into account with regard to the
drives of the decelerating and accelerating wheels disposed
on the two sides of the train, which would necessitate
differential drives, for instance.
The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide
a system of the above-mentioned kind in which the stations
may, depending on the local situation, also be disposed in
curved segments of the track without thereby requiring
specific technological measures with regard to the
disposition and the operation of the decelerating wheels and
the accelerating wheels.
The object is solved in accordance with the invention in that
each vehicle is formed with a contact surface at its
underside with which the decelerating and accelerating wheels
cooperate, which wheels are mounted on substantially
horizontal axes. Due to the disposition of the decelerating
wheels and of the accelerating wheels below the vehicle and
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the contact surface formed at its bottom, the decelerating
wheels and the accelerating wheels also contact the contact
surface in curved segments of the track, without requiring
additional technical features for that purpose. Furthermore,
ancillary slippage is negligible, so that the operation of
the system is not adversely impacted.
The contact surface may be rigidly connected with the
vehicle. The contact surface is preferably mounted at the
vehicle in a springy fashion. In this way the transfer of
jolts caused by the decelerating wheels and the accelerating
wheels onto the vehicle car is prevented. The decelerating
and accelerating wheels are preferably disposed above the
drive cable.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the decelerating
and accelerating wheels, respectively, are divided into
groups to which there are associated drive motors, whereby
the wheels of the individual groups are mutually coupled by
means of coupling transmissions. Alternatively, the
decelerating and accelerating wheels may be driven with
individual motors, which are connected at a control unit.
A system according to the invention will be explained in more
detail in the following with the aid of an exemplary
embodiment illustrated in the drawing. There is shown:
Fig. 1 a segment of a system according to the invention with
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a vehicle in a side-view;
Fig. 2 the vehicle in section along the line II-II of Fig. 1;
and
Fig. 3 the top-plan view onto a segment of a system according
to the invention.
A system according to the invention comprises a track 1 with
two rails 11 and 12, along which a vehicle 2 is driven. A
drive cable 3 is guided between the two rails 11 and 12 for
driving the vehicle 2; the drive cable is continually moved
at a predetermined speed, and the vehicle 2 can be coupled
thereto by means of a clamping device 4.
In the stations there are provided decelerating and
accelerating wheels 5 disposed between the rails 11 and 12
and rotatable about horizontal axes, which wheels 5 come into
contact with a contact surface 6 disposed at the bottom of
the vehicle 2, whereby the vehicle 2 is decelerated or
accelerated, respectively, after it has been decoupled from
the drive cable 3.
The vehicle 2 comprises a cabin 21 for transporting persons
or goods. It is further equipped with running wheels 22 on
which it is driven along the rails 11 and 12. As can be seen
in Fig. 2, it is also provided with guide rollers 23, which
come into contact with inner surfaces of the vertical webs of
the I-shaped rails 11 and 12. Furthermore, the clamping
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device 4 is disposed at the bottom of the vehicle 2 by means
of which the vehicle 2 can be clamped to the drive cable 3.
The regulation of the clamping device 4 for the purpose of
decoupling the vehicle 2 from the drive cable 3 is effected
by a cam roller 41 which runs onto guide tracks 42.
Furthermore, the contact surface 6 is disposed at the bottom
surface of the vehicle 2 which is contacted at the stations
by the decelerating and accelerating wheels 5, which are
rotatable about substantially horizontal axes. The contact
surface 6 may be rigidly connected with the vehicle cabin 21.
In order to prevent the transfer of jolts caused by the
decelerating and accelerating wheels onto the cabin 21,
however, it is useful to mount the contact surface 6 on the
vehicle cabin 21 in a hinged fashion, and particularly in a
springy fashion.
Motors 51 are provided for driving the decelerating and
accelerating wheels 5, respectively, which motors drive a
group of wheels 5; these wheels 5 are mutually coupled
through transmissions, e.g. V-belt transmissions, for the
purpose~of achieving the various rotational speeds necessary
for decelerating and accelerating the vehicle 2.
Alternatively, the wheels may be driven with individual
motors associated therewith, whereby the control thereof is
effected with a central control device. Speed measuring
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devices are additionally provided and the outputs thereof are
connected to the controls of the drive motors.
Fig. 3 illustrates a track segment which is curved. The
proper drive of the vehicles 2 is assured in that the
decelerating and accelerating wheels 5 are disposed below the
vehicle 2 and contact the contact surfaces 6 disposed on the
bottom of the vehicle 2.
The operation of the system is as follows:
Outside the stations, the vehicles 2 are coupled to the drive
cable 3 by means of the clamping device 4, whereby they are
driven along the track 1 at the speed of the drive cable,
e.g. at 8 m/sec. When the vehicles 2 enter the station, the
cam roller 41 of the clamping device 4 runs onto the guide
track 42, which causes the clamping device to open and the
the respective vehicle 2 to become uncoupled from the drive
cable 3. At this point, decelerating wheels 5 come into
contact with the contact surface 6, by way of which the speed
of the vehicle 2 is strongly reduced or decreased to a
stillstand. At this point, persons may enter or exit from the
vehicle cabin 21. The vehicle 2 is subsequently brought to
the running speed of the drive cable 3 by means of the
accelerating wheels 5 and then coupled to the drive cable 3
by means of the clamping device 4. The drive cable 3 then
drives the vehicle to the next station.
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Due to the fact that the decelerating and accelerating wheels
5 are disposed below the vehicle 2, that they are rotatable
about substantially horizontal axes, and that they come into
contact with a contact surface 6 which is disposed on the
bottom of the vehicle 2 and which extends substantially
horizontally, the stations may also be located in curved
segments of the track without causing difficulties with
regard to decelerating or accelerating the vehicles, and
without expensive technological features which assure the
proper operation.
